c:”do you believe in the divine?”

g:” like God?”

c: “yeah…”

g: “i usually think about the god, the trinity of the abraham religions, on tuesdays”

c: “what do you think about them on tuesdays?”

g: “i think it all sounds swell, but it’s not my bag”

c: “so you don’t believe in the divine?”

g: “i believe in a lot of things that are divine:

coffee

sex

airplanes

chess

cheese (a really good cheese)

firepits

laughter

kids

hats

south america

old people

punk rock

i think the definition of divine needs to be adjusted a bit….”

c: “so you are not religious?”

g: “i am super religious”

c: “what religion are you?”

g: “there are variations and evolutions, like everything else in life…”

c: “do you have an answer or are you just full of shit?”

g: “i have a full of shit answer…an accurate description agnostic humanist neo-pagan polytheist pantheist tree-huggin flower-smellin fairy”

c: “you are gay”

g: “true”

c: “don’t you think that is a crime against nature?”

g: “i think concrete is a crime against nature”

c: “that doesn’t answer the question…”

g: “of course it does, but i will rephrase:

no i don’t think being gay is an unnatural state of being, obviously it isn’t unnatural for me seeing as how i am gayly gay.  there are many people who use pieces of religious doctrine to criminalize queerness, but it is usually taken out of context and reworded.  as far as i am concerned, those people are looking for justification to be criminals and they have bucketfuls of unhappiness to carry around, so they are trying to lighten their load by throwing some of the content on others.  scientists have studied critters in the wild, and have found that there are animals who mate with members of the same sex.  for some of these it is a matter of dominance, but for a majority, they have found, it is about comfort and is the animal’s preference.  the wild beast category with the most gay members is the dragonfly, now maybe i am not giving the dragonfly enough credit, but i have never seen one put much forethought into their actions.  so if a dragonfly acts on instinct, primarily, how can it act contrary to nature?  therefore, how can being gay be unnatural?”

c: “are you a feminist?”

g: “yup, independently”

c: “do you hate men?”

g: “no”

c: “isn’t that a part of feminism?”

g: “not at all.  feminism is a celebration of the feminine, carving a new space for women.  for quite awhile in many mainstream societies women were/are a lower caste then the masculine, making room for women in that system doesn’t mean putting men in the lower system while the female occupies the upper, it is more about taking the platform away therefore breaking apart the caste system altogether.  history has shown over and over again, when power is taken from one and given to another, it is an illusion and at some point that power goes away, but when we empower ourselves from within looking inward for validation, that is an eternal truth.”

c: “what about transwomen?  there are alot of people who think they have no place in feminism”

g: “the idea of elitism is contrary to egalitarian culture, putting more boundaries/dress-codes/criteria in place is the opposite of opening doors to a truly equal society, which is what feminism was/is supposed to be about.  i think it is disgraceful to demand equality, but equality only for ‘women’ and definitely only for ‘these women’!  if we lock out men and transgender peoples today, who is locked out tomorrow and where will it stop?  when i see a movement denying others’ access, denying others’ even the right to voice support, i do not see a movement for civil rights, i see a movement to make the persons of power look different than those in power currently-it’s simply a changing of the guard.  i have always called myself a feminist, but i can’t get on board with many of the philosophies that are held by groups and leaders and the upper-crust of the movement.  the thing is, some people are cool and some people suck and there is no exterior indicator.  so fuck a movement that closes it’s doors to anyone other than __________ because human rights aren’t carnival rides.”

“it’s been great seeing you again, but i really must run along now!!!  the conversation was delightful as always-i always learn so much about me when talking to me….i hope i am home the next time i stop in!”